Stocking



2 Sheets-.-Sheet 1.

H. J. GRISWOLD.

Stocking. Pate nted June 29, 1880.

No; 229,401. PM

ZSheets-Sheet 2. H. J. GRISWOLD.

Stocking. No. 229,401. Patented June 29,1880.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY J. GRISWOLD, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND HORACE A. LATHROP, OF SHARON, MASSACHUSETTS.

STOCKING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 229,401, dated June 29, 1880.

Application filed J nly 29, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY J. GRIswoLD, formerly of Madison, Connecticut, now residing in London, Middlesex county, England, have invented certain Improvements in Stockings, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is a stocking constructed, as fully described hereinafter, to secure a nice fit, elasticity in the leg and foot, prevent wrinkling at the knee, and insure greater durability at this point, and, in stockings intended for use in bicycling, to prevent creeping toward the toe.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a View illustrating my improved stocking- Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the machine whereby said stocking can be made; Fig. 3, a plan of the cam-ring.

Ordinary stockings, and especially machinemade stockings, are objectionable from the fact that they fail to fit nicely to the fashion of the limb, that they are deficient in elasticity, and that when extended abovev the knee they are strained at this point by-the bending of the knee while the ends are 1 confined, the local abrasion at this point, especially in childrens stockings, increasing the rapidity of the wear. Another objection to the ordinary form of stocking is the wrinkling and bulging of the same at the knee when the wearer is standing, caused by the stretching of the stocking at this point when the leg is bent. Especially is this the case when worn by persons propelling bicycles, where the knee is constantly in a curved position.

I effectually obviate these latter objections by forming thatportion a, of the stocking above the knee at an angle to the lower portions, 1), which angle is about midwaybetween the extreme positions assumed by the upper part, a, in respect to the lower portions, so that either position is taken without straining or stretching the fabric to the extent that would otherwise be required. Thus it will be apparent that the part a will assume either position it or t with less strain upon the cloth than would result from bending to the position it a stocking woven with the part above the knee in the position t. To prevent the rapid wear of this ortion in childrens stockings they are made doubled or thickened, as at the toes and heels; but instead of extending this thickened gore of uniform width completely around the article, as heretofore, which results in uncomfortable heavy folds at the point 00 when the leg is bent, I make the thickened gore w wide in front and narrow at the back, as shown in shaded lines.

In bicycle-stockings it has been found difficult to keep the stocking from creeping downward. This I prevent by knitting one or more tongues, D, to and as part of the stocking, the tongue extending from either side or front, as may be desired, and being provided at the end with a button -hole, or having any suitable means of attaching the same to the clothing of the wearer.

To perfectly fashion and increase the clasticity of the stocking I knit the same in the manner I will now describe, preferably on the machine shown in Fig. 2, in which- A represents the bed of the machine, and has a clam p-screw, B, whereby it is secured to the edge of a table or other support.

0 is the fixed needle-cylinder, grooved vertically for the purpose of guiding the needles in the usual manner.

D is the revolving or reciprocating oam-rin g, the cams being so constructed as to give the same vertical movement to the needles in whichever direction the said cam-ring is revolved and whenever one or more of the needles are lifted up, so that the butts pass above the cams, they are no longer in action, but the stitch remains upon the said needles until they are pressed down, so as to again engage the cam.

E is a bevel-gear Wheel, and F bevel-gearing upon the cam-ring D, by which motion is communicated to the said cam-ring.

H is the yarn-carrier, which is made to slide backward and forward in respect to the camring D in such a manner as to present the yarn to the needles at the proper time in whichever direction the said cam may be revolved or reciprocated. With these parts I combine a ribbing attachment, consisting essentially of a stationary needle-support, K K, and a revolving ring, L, carrying cams g It for actuating a series of dial-needles, which are arranged radially.

The needles are preferably actuated by jacks or levers e, to one end of which they are secured at right angles, or nearly so, while the other ends of the said jacks are provided with hooks i, so as to hang and vibrate freely upon the cup-shaped part ff of the fixed frame K K. Near the middle longitudinally of each of the said jacks is a lip, 0 which overhangs the ribs t t on the cams g and h, Fig. 3, so that the said cams may catch behind the said lips and actuate the said jacks and their respective needles as the cams are carried past the jacks. The fixed frame K of the said ribbing attachment has a circular disk or web, j. turned to nearly the same size as the diameter of the needle-cylinder of the knitting-machine, but thickened somewhat at its circumference, in which thickened part are cut grooves, j equal in number to the needles d required. The office of these grooves is to guide the said needles as they are actuated, and also to discharge or knock off the loops from the said needles. The frame K also has a slotted circular disk, k, which serves to guide the aforesaid jacks as they are being actuated.

From the cup-shaped piece there projects upward the dial -holder l, preferably tubular, which surmounts the attachment, and serves, in combination with the clip lever m and pedestal n, to hold the frame from revolving or reciprocating with the camring L, while the needle is adjusted. I thus adjust the radial needles accurately, so that they may be held at will either directly above the grooves of the needle-frame G of the machine or above the ribs and between such grooves. By thus changing the position of the radial needles of the ribbing attachment I am able to decrease the size of the leg of a stocking to form the ankle by as many stitches as there are ribs knit by the radial needles in use, and have accomplished the result of properly fashioning the leg of a stocking knitted ona circular machine without resorting to sewing up the back of the stocking.

While the needle-frame K is held adj nstabl y from revolving or oscillating, as above described, the cam-ring D of the ribbing attachment is attached rigidly by three or more brackets, O, to the main cam-ring D of the machine, with which it is revolved or reciprocated simultaneously.

The cam n of the cam-ring L actuates the jacks E and their needles to discharge the loop and form the ribbed stitch, while the other two cams,g and h, which may be designated wing-cams, push the said needles at the proper moment to disengage their latches from the loops last formed, a rubber spring, 8, forcing the jacks outward.

The operation of the machine is as follows: Having commenced at the top of a stocking in the usual way and having knit once around, I adjust the ribbing attachment to the machine, the cams of the attachment being arranged in respect to the corresponding cams of the machine to effect the desired operations. I then insert in the ribbing attachment, equidistant from each other, jacks equal in number to, say, one-fourth as many needles as are in the ma chine, and adjust the clip so that the radial needles of the attachment shall fall directly over the ribs n of the machine and between every fourth and fifth needle thereof. I then revolve the machine and knit a straight tnbu- 7o lar web-say six or eightinches long. I then narrow the leg oif gradually by taking out from the machine a needle-say every sixth time around-and putting the stitch over the adjoining ribbing-needles. I continue this until as many needles have been removed as there are ribssay one-fifth of the whole number of stitches. I then adjust the frame K of the attachment by means of the clip-lever, so that the radial needles shall be held directly over the grooves of the needle-cylinder O, which have become vacant by the removal of the needles for narrowing. I then knit, say, three inches more of tubular work for the ankle.

I thus decrease the number of rows of stitches in each rib, and the operation may again be repeated at intervals toward the ankle, so as to fashion the stocking to the shape of the leg,

as shown.

For the heel and bottom of the foot I re- 0 move one-half of the jacks and insert in the needle-frame 0 corresponding needles, transferrin g to these needles the stitches which were on the jack-needles. This makes the heel and bottom half of the stocking-foot plain, while 5 the top is ribbed.

While the heel is being knitted the ribbingjacks are. thrown out of action by drawing back the wing-cams and holding them by setscrews, and the ribbing attachment is detached before knitting the too. The heel and toe and the tongue D are knitted in the well-known manner practiced on reversible circular-knitting machines, the needles of which may be thrown out of action. I

I make no claim to the machine shown and described, as it constitutes the subject-matter of a separate application for Letters Patent filed October 28, 1875; but

I claim- 1. As a new article of manufacture, a ribbed stocking in which the rows of stitches in the parallel ribs decrease in number from below the top toward the heel, substantially as set forth. I 1

2. As a new article of manufacture, aribbed stocking in which the rows of stitches in the parallel ribs decrease in number from below the top toward the heel, the decrease beginning in a few of the ribs and including additional ribs at intervals from the top to the ankle, substantially as set forth.

3. A stocking the leg portion a of which above the knee is at an angle to the lower portion, as and for the purpose set 'forth.

4. A stocking having at the knee a thickened gore, w, diminishing in width toward the rear, as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

H. J. GRISWOLD.

Witnesses:

CHARLES E. FOSTER, WILLLAM PAXTON. 

